Extrait

Background and study aims There are expected to be 850000 people in the UK in 2015 living with dementia, two-thirds in the community. UK dementia care costs £26.3 billion. Many people living with dementia have problems with sleeping. Reduced night time sleep, night time wandering, and excessive daytime napping are common. Sleep problems can also disrupt the sleep of other members of the family. As there are currently no known effective treatments, health professionals use treatments which work in people who do not have dementia. They are often ineffective or have unacceptable side effects. This study is looking at a new manual-based sleep programme called DREAMS START (Dementia Related Manual for Sleep; Strategies for Relatives). It is made up of a combination of various strategies, which include increasing light, activity, comfort, routine and relaxation, tailored to the problems of each person. This study aims to test out the programme on people with dementia living at home and their family, to see if it is feasible and acceptable and seems to help. Who can participate? Adults with dementia who are experiencing sleep problems and have a family carer. What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in the first group receive treatment as usual, which may vary according to the practices of the Trust in which they are treated and their individual needs. Those in the second group receive treatment as usual as well as taking part in six hour-long weekly sessions of the DREAMS START programme. The treatment is tailored to each patient, as the family member fills in their own experiences and agreed strategies to try out between sessions. All participants are asked to wear an acti-watch (a watch-like device that measures sleep, movement and light) for two weeks and then again three months later, to compare the sleep patterns. Carers also complete questionnaires that ask about the person with dementia (sleep, behaviour, mood and quality of life), and about the carer’s own sleep, mood and quality of life at the start of the study and after three months. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? There are no guaranteed benefits of taking part but there is a chance that the sleep programme may help participants improve their sleep. There are no risks associated with participating. Where is the study run from? Memory services in Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and Barnet, Enfield And Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? February 2016 to October 2017 Who is funding the study? National Institute for Health Research (UK) Who is the main contact? 1. Dr Kirsi Kinnunen (scientific) [email protected] 2. Professor Gill Livingston (scientific) [email protected]

Critère d'inclusion

• Specialty: Dementias and neurodegeneration, Primary sub-specialty: Dementia; UKCRC code/ Disease: Neurological/ Other degenerative diseases of the nervous system

Liens

• isrctn